Intentionally aiming toward a more joyful life

Tag Archives: life

Wow, it has been silent here for a while hasn’t it? We have had a very crazy February here at our house. I have been struggling with feeling helpless and hopeless for the last few weeks, which is not a great motivator for me to write. We have had snowstorm after snowstorm, with another one due to hit today. We battled a stomach virus, with five of the six of us succumbing. And my second oldest has moved back home. That is a lot of upheaval for two weeks. Continue reading →

I decided to do something a little different the other day. In great hubris, I thought maybe people would like to see what a normal day in my life is like. I hope that a normal day in my abnormal life will be as interesting as an abnormal day in someone else’s normal life. If nothing else, I hope you at least find something to laugh at. This day was a snow day, so it is mostly typical of weekends or school vacations. If you enjoy it, let me know, and I can do another one about school days, which look significantly different because there is more time to do solitary things.

Last century, I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. Before she was 10 minutes old, she uttered her first word. No! That has been the theme of our relationship ever since. She has been a very strong-willed child her whole life. She knows what she wants, and she doesn’t let little things like reality get in the way. Continue reading →

There are many tragedies in life. Death, disease, violence, natural disasters, accidents all cause us stress and worry. In times like these, we often talk about praying for the victims, or sending positive thoughts and energy. We do it to help those who are hurting, and we do it to feel like we are contributing in some way, even if we are too far away to be of service in person. Some people say that such efforts are useless. They do not believe that positive thoughts can help anyone. Whether this is true or not, we still do it. We do it for ourselves if for no one else. It helps ease the pain of feeling helpless. But I do believe that such things can be helpful to those in need, too. Continue reading →

I live in a wonderful place. I feel blessed to live in New England, and although there are many places I would like to visit, there is no place I would rather live than here. Especially the Connecticut River Valley where it cuts through the Appalachian Mountains. Technically, I live in the foothills of the mountains, and it is a very wonderful place to live. Cheshire County will always be the home of my heart. Continue reading →

Some of us have had hard lives. Probably even most of us have had hard times in life. I am willing to bet that everyone has had to face a challenge at some point in their lives. Some people face more challenges than others, and we call them strong. The people who have survived challenges that we don’t think we could handle often hold our admiration.Continue reading →

We have all read our horoscope in the newspaper, telling us that as an Aries, we are going to run into conflict with coworkers this month. Or maybe it says you are a Libra and so you will have to negotiate some important contract this week. You know what? That is all baloney. I do believe in astrology, but not the newspaper kind. Those are about as accurate as telling your fortune based on your height, or your hair color, or your weight. Continue reading →

Today I am out of my usual routine, so I thought I would share something that I wrote for a church service this past winter. I was asked to share my personal credo, my system of beliefs. Since my religion does not have one specific dogma, we sometimes have services in which a handful of us share our own beliefs. It is so fun to hear the ideas that govern each of our lives. So here today is n explanation of my own personal religious beliefs. I hope something here resonates with you.Continue reading →

Is there anyone who hasn’t played a video game? I suspect not. I used to play an online game called World of Warcraft. I used to play Dungeons and Dragons and other tabletop games. I used to play Live-Action Role Playing games (LARPs). All of these games involve creating a character through which you can participate in the game.

The character generation process involves things like choosing if you will play a Continue reading →